The Vision

Hey there, thanks for checking out our website! I am Alex, the coach here at Rantoul Jiu Jitsu. I knew this gym was special the first time I stepped through the door, long before I inherited it from my coach. When I started training here, the gym was still run by its founder, Matthew Jokisch. My friend Clay and I scheduled a trial class and found ourselves in a repurposed racquetball court in the Forum Fitness center, probably one of the more interesting places to train martial arts in. It was an adventure even finding it for the first time, but the training was good and the people were amazing.

When Coach Jokisch moved, he passed the gym on to my coach, Marcelo Mendoza. Under Marcelo’s instruction, me, Clay, and a few of our friends built up our grappling skills and fell in love with no-gi jiu jitsu. When Marcelo had to leave, the team turned to me to keep the gym alive.

My goal is to continue this gym’s legacy and create a community where you can find meaning, have fun, and build grappling skills in the most sustainable way possible. I hope to make it for you what it has been for me all of these years. I am always learning, experimenting, and researching better systems, techniques, and training methods to improve the student experience. By training here, you’ll find the skill developments you experience will speak for themselves, and you will make some good friends along the way.

I would love to answer any questions you have and get you scheduled for a free intro class. Just fill out a contact form below, and I will get back to you ASAP. We’ll find a day for you to come in, experience BJJ, and see if this gym is a fit for you.

Hope to see you soon!